


Sickness

by bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid



Series: The World Needs More Mac and Riley [7]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sick Character, Sick!Mac, Sickfic, Team as Family, its riley's turn to take care of mac, mac doesn't like to admit when he is sick, mac is a bad patient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 15:17:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13390578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid/pseuds/bowties_Scarves_and_Plaid
Summary: Mac doesn't like to admit it when he is sick, so the team takes turns forcing him to go home and get some rest. This time, it's Riley's turn to take care of a stubborn and sick Mac.





	1. Chapter 1

“And this is-” Matty stopped talking when she was once again interrupted by the god-awful sound of Mac’s coughing. Riley hated how wet the coughs sounded. Mac was paler than normal and kept trying to convince them all that he was fine.

“Sorry...just need...a drink,” Mac gasped in between coughs and stumbled out of the room.

“Alright, who wants to do it this time?” Matty asked

“Do what? Is Mac okay?” Cage said, looking out where Mac just left their line of sight.

“Mac doesn’t get sick very often, but when he does, he usually doesn’t admit it until he’s so sick he can’t move,” Bozer spoke up and Riley knew that he had more experience than the rest of them with dealing with sick Mac.

“Or passes out,” Riley added with a shudder, remembering the last time when he had caught the flu.

“So we take turns bringing him home and making sure he gets some rest,” Jack finished the explanation.

“Since I’m the only one who isn’t physically needed on this mission, I’ll do it,” Riley offered. “I can run tech from Mac’s house.”

“Sound like a plan,” Matty said and they all waited a few more moments before Mac came back into the room. Mac looked around the room and read the expression on their faces.

“Not again, guys I don’t need-” He stopped talking when Bozer stepped forward and put the back of his hand against Mac’s forehead.

“Mac, you’ve got a fever so don’t even bother with any of your lame excuses.”

“I’m fine,” Mac swatted Bozer’s hand away and glared at them all in turn. The intensity of his glare, however, was undermined by the fact that he was pale and sweaty and looked like he was about to fall over any second.

“Blondie, Riley is going to take you home and you are going to go to bed. That’s an order,” Matty said in her most severe tone. Mac looked around again and then visibly deflated when he saw that he had no allies.

“C’mon Mac, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Jack pleaded with him. Riley walked over so she was standing right in front of him.

“We have done this enough times before for a smart guy like you to know how it will end,” She said as gently but firmly as possible. “So how about we skip the long argument this time and you just let me take you home.”

“But what about…” Mac gestured towards the screen in the front of the War Room.

“The mission will be fine. Jack, Cage, and Bozer can handle this one. And Riley will work from your house,” Matty answered his half-formed question. One thing about Mac being sick was that his brain didn’t move as quickly, so they could actually win the argument against him.

“Mac, you’re a liability to us in your current state,” Cage finally joined in, making the one point that might make Mac give in. When it came to his health, he couldn’t care less, but he never wanted to endanger anyone else.

“One day,” Mac said firmly and everyone in the room relaxed

“You got it, genius,” Riley said and linked her arm in Mac’s, pulling him out of the room before he had a chance to reconsider.   
“One day Riles, and then I’m back,” Mac said softly as he allowed himself to be guided out of the Phoenix Foundation. 

“Of course,” Riley said, mostly to humor him. She ignored the concerned looks of passing Phoenix employees and focused on the man who was leaning a bit too heavily on her. Riley stopped and readjusted her position so that her arm was now wrapped around Mac’s waist and his arm was around her shoulders. She supported part of his weight as they made their way to her car. 

“You know,” She said as she started up the car. “There is nothing wrong with admitting that you are sick and need a day off. Everyone does every now and again.”

“Yeah, but most people don’t put lives at risk halfway around the globe when they don’t show up for their job,” Mac huffed as he leaned against the window with his eyes closed.

“That may be part of it, but I think there is another reason. Bozer said that you have always been like this, and you didn’t use to have this job,” Riley pointed out.

“Yeah well-” Mac cut off as he was hit with another fit of coughs. When he started speaking again, he was slightly out of breath. “Most kids...don’t like school...I did.”

“Yeah, I’m calling B.S. on that excuse as well,” Riley knew there was something else behind Mac’s insistence that he was never sick. 

“You can call it whatever you want, but it’s the truth,” Mac said weakly as he leaned back against the window. Riley reached over and felt his forehead, it was hot and covered in sweat. Riley drove a little faster, wanting to get Mac some medicine and into bed as quickly as possible.

They arrived at his house in record time and Riley hurried around the car to help Mac. The fact that Mac let her help him into his house indicated how lousy he was really feeling. Riley tried to lead him to his room, but he started arguing with her, saying that he wasn’t tired, so she helped him to the couch instead. Then she went into Bozer’s room and got a thermometer and the super strong cough medicine that could make even Mac drowsy. She poured a dose into the little cup and brought it back out to Mac who eyed it suspiciously. 

“What is it?”

“It’s cough medicine, just take it,” Riley shoved it into his hand. He took it but didn’t drink it.

“I hate this stuff,” He pouted a little, for once acting younger than he looked.

“How about this, you drink that, and I’ll let you listen in on the mission,” Riley said, hoping that Mac’s sick brain didn’t put together the fact that Jack, Cage, and Bozer would be on a plane for another hour and in that time the cough medicine would’ve done its job. Riley wished that this wasn’t a domestic mission. Then she probably could’ve convinced Mac to sleep while the team was on the plane. But this job was in the US so the flight was not that long.

“Deal,” Mac took the bait and drank the medicine, grimacing as he did. “God that’s awful, why is it so awful?”

“Here” Riley handed him the thermometer.

“These things take forever,” Mac complained as he stuck it under his tongue.

“You get awful whiny when you are sick,” Riley noted. She waited for the thermometer to beep before taking it out. “You sound a bit like Jack actually.”

“Don’t ever say that,” Mac responded as he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. Riley had to bite back a laugh at the offended tone of his voice.

“Okay, you have a temperature, but it’s not too high,” She said, looking at the object in her hand.

“I’m fine,” Mac protested yet again.

“So, do you not like being sick because you don’t like admitting to weakness?” Riley switched topics suddenly, hoping to throw him off balance and cause him to answer honestly.

“What? No, I don’t care about that,” Mac said looking at her in surprise. “Now come on, I held up my end of the bargain.” Riley sat next to him with a sigh and opened up her laptop.

“The team will be landing in 50 minutes,” She said letting the topic of Mac’s health go for the moment.

“Good, can you bring up the case files?” Mac asked, leaning close to look at her screen. Riley did as he asked, scrolling through the files that Matty had been going through back at Phoenix.

After about ten minutes, Mac’s requests for her to scroll down were getting slower and slower. Riley noticed that they had been on one page for a while and snuck a peek at Mac. She wasn’t surprised to see that his eyes were closed and his head was dropped against his chest. Not wanting to wake him up, Riley stayed very still and very silent. She simply continued to read through the rest of the file since she and Mac had left before Matty had explained everything to her.

After a few more minutes, Riley felt Mac’s body begin to shift closer to her. Eventually, he settled against her with his head heavy on her shoulder. Riley knew that she would have to move as soon as the team touched down, but for the time being, she stayed where she was. Mac needed his rest and she didn’t want to risk waking him. Plus, Mac was not an overly cuddly person, so moments like this were very rare. Riley wanted to enjoy it while she could.

All too soon, it was time for Riley to get back to work. As slowly as she could, she shifted away from Mac, gently lowering his top half onto the couch. The sick agent didn’t so much as stir. Riley put her hand against his forehead, it wasn’t the most accurate of measurements, but it was all she could do at the moment. He didn’t feel any hotter, which was a good sign. Riley covered him with a blanket and headed off into his room with her laptop. She left the door open a crack so she could still hear if he woke up and settled down at his desk. She had to clear away a few of Mac’s projects to make room for her laptop.

“How’s the patient?” Matty asked when Riley called her

“Currently sleeping. He’s got a bit of a fever, but I think medicine and rest should do the trick,” Riley responded.

“That’s good to hear, I’m patching in Jack and the others now,” Matty said.

“Hey Riles, how’s Mac?” Jack asked immediately

“He’s good Jack. I gave him some cough medicine and he passed right out,”

“Make sure he drinks lots of water! It’s important for sick people to stay hydrated and he forgets things like that. Oh, and I knew he was getting sick so there is some chicken noodle soup that he likes in the fridge,” Bozer said and Riley could hear the concern in his voice.

“I’ve got this Boze,” She assured him. “You guys just focus on the mission.”

“We just touched down,” Cage said.

“Here we go,” Riley whispered mostly to herself, bringing up the surveillance of the team.


	2. Chapter 2

Riley closed her laptop with a sigh. The mission had gone off without a hitch and she was glad. She was happy that the team and the people of Kansas City were safe, but she was also glad because now Mac would have no excuse to try to go back to work. If something had gone wrong on the mission he would’ve blamed himself and insist on going back into Phoenix. 

Riley went back out to check on Mac. He was in practically the same position as he had been the other times she had checked on him. She was surprised that he was still sleeping, but was unendingly grateful for it. MacGyver had been in desperate need of sleep. Riley wanted to check Mac’s forehead to see if his fever had gone down, but she wasn’t sure if she could do it without waking him. She would give him a few more hours of sleep, and then check.

Riley headed back into the bedroom to type up her mission notes to send to Matty. Twenty minutes later, she heard a noise in the doorway and turned to see a very sleepy looking Mac. He gave her a small wave of greeting and padded over to sit on the bed.

“I missed the mission didn’t I?” He asked with a yawn.

“Yeah, everything went according to plan,” Riley assured him. 

“And according to your plan,” Mac said sending her a reproachful look.

“What?”

“You never intended for me to watch the mission. You knew I would pass out,” He accused.

“You’ve got me,” Riley admitted. “But I only did it because I want you to get better.” She moved to sit next to him on the bed and looked at him closely. He was still pale and his eyes were slightly glassy, either from the medicine or sleep, but other than that he looked fine. Her hand against his forehead told her that his fever was better, but she planned on taking a more accurate reading just to be sure.

“My mom used to always take my temperature by kissing my forehead,” Mac said, with a faraway look in his eyes.

“Oh yeah?” Riley was pleasantly surprised at Mac’s decision to share information about his mom. She knew that he didn’t remember a lot about her since he had been so young when she died, and he usually kept the things he did remember to himself.

“Yeah, she claimed that she could get a more accurate reading with her lips versus her hand,” Mac said with a small smile.

“She was probably right.”

“I don’t remember much from when she was sick, but I remember when she first told me I went up to her and kissed her forehead. I was confused because she didn’t have a fever. My grandfather explained that someone could be sick without having a fever.” Mac still had a faraway look in his eyes as he stared at the wall. Riley found herself unable to find the right words to say. Luckily, Mac was in his own world and didn’t seem to expect a response from her. “My grandfather was a loving man, but also a scientific one. He only ever took my temperature with a thermometer. And my dad...well, he usually freaked out when I was sick. Before he left, he would practically dump me on my grandfather’s doorstep at the first cough or sniffle.”

“That’s awful,” Riley said in shock.

“Yeah, well, I think he was just so traumatized by my mom’s sickness that he couldn’t deal with a child who was sick. But as a kid, I used to think that I was dying like my mom every time I got sick and my dad’s reaction didn’t help. My grandfather would always have to talk me down.”

“That’s why you don’t like to admit that you are sick,” Riley said, realizing that Mac was finally answering the question that she had been asking all day.

“Yes, it became a habit to hide and ignore my sickness as long as possible. And even after I had been with my grandpa for years, I still couldn’t help but feel this irrational fear every time I got sick.” Mac was looking at his hands now, and Riley followed his gaze to see that he was bending a paperclip

“I wouldn’t call it irrational,” Riley said firmly and Mac looked up to meet her gaze. “Based on what you’ve said, I think your reactions to be sick make perfect sense.”

“It doesn’t seem to matter that I am old enough or smart enough to know that getting a cold isn’t the end of the world, I still freak out every time it happens.” Mac was looking back down at his hands.

“For me it’s sirens,” Riley said and Mac looked at her curiously. “I spent most of my youth doing illegal hacking. Even though I was good at it and covered my tracks, I still lived in constant fear of being found out. Every time I heard sirens close to my house I would panic thinking they were coming for me. And I can still remember the paralyzing fear after I hacked the NSA when I knew they were coming for me. So now, years later, even though I work for the government, every time I hear a siren coming towards my apartment, I have this second of panic. It’s a gut reaction that comes from so many years of fear.”

“So you’re saying that these are visceral feelings,” Mac said

“Um,” Riley hesitated, not exactly sure what the definition of visceral was.

“Visceral is like a gut reaction. It relates more to inward feelings versus intellect.” Mac said, understanding her hesitation.

“Oh, then yes. They are visceral reactions that come from crappy childhood memories,” Riley said. She knew that their situations were not exactly the same. Mac had no influence over what happened to him while Riley had been the direct cause of hers, but it seemed like her point had still been made.

“Welp, here’s to crappy childhoods,” Mac said wryly and handed her the paperclip. Riley looked down to see that he had twisted it into a stethoscope. 

“Speaking of medical equipment, I am going to get the thermometer to take your temperature. I think it has gone down, but I want to make sure,” Riley said, standing up and ignoring the groan that came from her patient. She took Mac’s temperature and was relieved to see that it had indeed gone down, although it was still slightly higher than normal.

“How’s it looking, Doc?” Mac asked with heavily lidded eyes

“Better, although I want you to take more medicine and get more sleep. But first, are you hungry?”

“Not really,” Mac said, shifting so that he was leaning against his headboard.

“How about some soup? You really should try to eat something and Bozer made you his chicken noodle soup,” Riley didn’t miss the way that Mac’s eyes lit up at the mention of Bozer’s soup. “Here, you can listen to the audio of the mission while I fix you up some,” Riley said, handing Mac her laptop. She knew that he would want to know everything that happened on the mission and this would keep him still and occupied while she heated up the soup.

She got a bowl for both Mac and herself. The soup smelled heavenly and she could never resist Bozer’s cooking. Plus, he had made enough to feed the entire team for a week straight, so she didn’t feel bad taking some of it. She also grabbed Mac a glass of water after remembering Bozer’s warnings about dehydration.  
Mac ate all of his soup and drank all of the water. And to Riley’s surprise, he didn’t complain when she gave him medicine and insisted on getting some sleep. His only request was that she stay in the room with him. So she sat at his desk on her laptop, listening to the sound of his breathing even out.

Riley only left when she heard the front door creak open. She rushed to assure the worried team that Mac was fine and shouldn’t be bothered. The team made their way out to the balcony where the noise wouldn’t disturb Mac. Riley went back into Mac’s room to grab her laptop and give him one last check.

She couldn’t resist going over and tucking the blankets more securely around him. Then, she leaned down and gave him a kiss on his forehead, like his mom used to do so many years ago. Riley knew that it would still be a battle of wills everytime Mac got sick, but now that she knew why Mac acted the way he did, she didn’t mind one bit.


End file.
